The Ponder CornerLet Beauty be your constant ideal. The Beauty of thoughts. The beauty of the action.

The Beauty in the work, so that nothing comes out of your hands which is not an expression of pure and harmonious beauty. And the Divine help shall always be with you.

The Mother

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Natural Impressions Ambient Live Music by Nadaka & Gopika 24th July Saturday, evening 5:15 to 6:15 PM Enjoy this peaceful moment in the Matrimandir Gardens, by the Amphitheater.

Drawing by Julie

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House of Mother’s Agenda 20 September 1967

The Mother: I had many things to say, but now I don’t remember.

Only an observation, which is really very interesting: it’s that everyone has said the same thing, all those who had the Experience have said the same thing... but everyone in his own way, so it looks like something different.

Yesterday it was so clear, and again early this morn-ing, the whole morning: this way, that way, this one here, that one there (Mother shows different facets), the philoso-phers, founders of religions, sages of all countries – they have always said the same thing.

For instance, Buddha’s teaching and, say, the Christian teaching, seem to be so different, but it’s always the same thing. Which means there is ONE state (if you catch hold of it), ONE state in which you are conscious of the divine Consciousness (not “conscious of”: “conscious through” or “conscious with,” I don’t know how to explain... it’s the divine Consciousness which is conscious, that is, the Con-sciousness in its essence), and there are no more prob-lems there, no more complications, no more explanations, nothing anymore – everything is as clear as can be.

So then, everyone has tried to explain that, and natu-rally it has become confused, incomplete, incorrect, with one explanation clashing with another – while everyone is talking about the same thing!

It came yesterday in relation to a boy who sent me the letter from one of his friends, in which he said the usual nonsense: “I don’t believe in God because I can’t see him.” The usual little stupidity.

And in that connection, I saw (I looked, like that, looked for a long time), I saw that the one who rejects, the one who asserts, the one... all that, all of it is (how could I put it?) variations on the same theme, even when it appears to be saying the contrary.

Yesterday it was interesting, because the observation was the same for the materialists who feel that the only truth is a “concrete” truth, the truth that can, according to them, be seen or heard or touched.... And it’s the same thing, the same state – the same state reflected in different mirrors.

But the difference in mirrors is not an essential and rad-ical difference, it’s only... (gesture showing facets in move-ment), yes, that’s what some have called the “play,” but it’s not even a play; I might almost say it’s a difference of position.

Everything you can say about it is nothing, it’s part of that huge chattering that tries to express the inexpressible “something.” But when you are IN it, it’s so clear, so obvi-ous – simple, without problems. And the world is no longer a problem.

Even that apparently rather fundamental difference be-tween those who regard the Manifestation as divine and essential and those who consider that in order to reach the essential Divine you must leave the Manifestation (because it’s an “error” – that is, an error that took place in the Con-sciousness), even those two positions are the same thing!

But how can you explain it? When you say that, it seems foolish, yet up above it’s true. It’s true – true and full. It’s full, not hollow – here everything rings hollow, so hollow; the hollowness of inadequacy. But up above...

It’s almost like a kaleidoscope: you turn it and get one picture, turn it again and get another picture, turn it again... yet it’s always the same thing!

But now, it’s the body that has the experience. In a certain state, the state which corresponds to That, the es-sential state, everything is harmonious, with a living, smil-ing, happy peace; then as soon as there is... a nothing, you know, a mere trifle, simply the coming into the atmo-sphere of something clashing – a mere nothing – it’s felt like something extremely acute and painful.

But not in the way of the pain of Ignorance, it’s more like... you could call it a discomfort, but it’s not even that....

Everyone has explained it in his own way: some have called it “falling from the Truth into Falsehood,” others “falling from the Light into Darkness,” others “falling from Ananda into suffering,” yet others...

Everyone has given his explanation, but it’s something else... As for me, I have no words for it, but the body feels it, feels it very acutely, and it sees that at the end of it, the consequence of it, is disintegration.

And its whole effort is to strive to re-establish that inner harmony, that harmonic state in which everything becomes harmonious, everything – and in their appearance things haven’t changed! Yet in one way they are marvelous, and in the other detestable.

The opposition between the two things is growing sharper every minute: one moment everything is divine, the next moment everything is detestable – yet it’s the same thing.

Since the 15th of August, since that experience at the balcony, it has become very clear.

Volume 8. 1967: Agenda of the Supramental

Action Upon Earth

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To the contentTownhall Speaks

LOCKDOWN UPDATEThis is to inform you that the Honorable Chief Minister

of Tamil Nadu has issued a press release extending the lockdown until 31-07-2021 at 6-00 am. All activities that were already allowed will continue unchanged.

However, cultural events and large gatherings/meetings are still not allowed. Schools and colleges remain closed but teachers are allowed to attend school and engage in administrative work, in lesson and curriculum preparation. Industrial and Vocational Training Institutes can function with 50 percent capacity on rotation and following SOP’s. Below are some other key features of the new guidelines. The translation of the text of the press release is available at this link.

Please remember to continue to apply all due precau-tions of wearing masks and maintaining distance when interacting with others and in public spaces/facilities, and regularly washing hands or using sanitizer.

With best wishes to all,The Working Committee

(Anu, Arun, Chali, Hemant, Partha, Sauro, Srimoyi)

KEY FEATURES OF NEW GUIDELINES• Private and government bus transport between states

(excluding Puducherry) is still banned.• Ban on swimming pools continues.• Prohibition of public, community, and political meet-

ings continues.• Extension of ban on entertainment, sports and cul-

tural events (with spectators; rehearsals and practice are allowed following SOP’s).

• Only 50 people allowed on auspicious events includ-ing weddings.

• Only 20 people allowed to attend funerals.

ANNOUNCING THE NEW HOUSING BOARDDear Community, in accordance with the

newly revised Housing Mandate (please see the recent announcement from the AV Council https://auroville.org.in/article/84487), the Housing Board has been reconstituted with the following membership:

• From Housing Service: Aravind (New Creation), Sundar K. (Aspiration)

• From FAMC: Angelo (Hope)• From ATDC: Anbu (Windarra)• From the Community-at-large: Angela (Alchemy),

Bharathi (Ami), Elaine (Auromodele), Rima (Dana), Venkat (Surrender)

We thank all the community members who came for-ward with their offer to serve.

We now submit this selection to the residents for the req-uisite 2-week feedback period. If for any reason you feel that one or more of these persons are disqualified to serve in the Housing Board, please write to famc@auroville.org.in describing your concern, before 4th August 2021.

Sincerely,FAMC (Amy, Angelo, Jonas, Lisa, Marc,

Palani, Ranjith, Stephan)

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION IN PTPS ADVISORY GROUPDear family, our last update about Pour Tous

Purchasing Service (PTPS) was on 28 June 2021 (https://auroville.org.in/article/85377). Previously, on 25 December 2020, we had shared with you the paper “2020.12.16 AVST PTPS Management (Advisory) Group” (https://auroville.org.in/article/82839). This paper has been reviewed and approved by the FAMC in May.

Recently, in collaboration with the FAMC, we devel-oped a selection process for the new Advisory Group (please read below). As of the issuance of this N&N #880 (i.e. 24 July), we are launching a one-week application period for those who are interested to serve.

If you are interested to serve in this Advisory Group please read the paper “2020.12.16 AVST PTPS Manage-ment (Advisory) Group” to be clear about the scope of work and responsibilities of this team.

Then you may share with us your personal expression of interest, or propose another Aurovilian, by writing to servicetrust@auroville.org.in.

Regards, Anne, Ponnusamy, Joseba, and Amy, AVST

Pour Tous Purchasing Service Advisory GroupAurovilians with:

1. Knowledge of and resonance with what a service is, as well as the philosophy and principles of Auroville & Prosperity;

2. Good listening skills: handles conflict and complaints well, willingness to solve problems, spirit of collabo-ration;

3. Sense of care & compassion;4. Understanding, resonance with and acceptance of

the PTPS Advisory Group document (dt 2020.12.16). Here is a short excerpt:

The Group will be comprised of Aurovilians with demonstrated: • Commitment to creating a respectful working en-

vironment that includes embodying a spirit of har-mony, trust, collaboration, and teamwork.

• Commitment to embody and manifest acumen in finance and management.

• Commitment to embody and manifest the ideals of Auroville.

• Commitment to embody and manifest the values of the Auroville Service Trust.

Application, Review and Selection Process by the Auroville Service Trust, in collaboration with the FAMC (be-low “we”):

Step 1: We will request the community members to volunteer themselves or to propose other Aurovilians with the above skills and capacities for the new PTPS Advisory Group (ref Advisory Group paper). This will take place over a one-week period.

Step 2: Then we will contact the Aurovilians proposed to confirm if they are willing to serve.

Step 3: After confirmation, we will publish the names of the Aurovilians who are willing to serve.

Step 4: This will be followed by a 2-week period in which community members can give feedback on the Au-rovilians proposed. Feedback will be addressed to the Ser-vice Trust and will be shared with the FAMC. This feedback can be in the form of support or objection. We will share the feedback with the Aurovilian concerned.

Step 5: We will review all the information; the appoint-ment of the Advisory Group members will be finalized by the Service Trust, jointly with the FAMC.

Please send your proposal or candidacy for the new Advisory Group and please be sure to include the skills and capacities of the Aurovilian(s).

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FOREST GROUP MEETING – AURODAM 2 JULY 2021Present: David (Aurodam), Manolo (Youth Centre/

Bliss Forest), Rita (Centrefield), Kannyappan, Fabian (both Pitchandikulam), Bernd, Matthieu, Andreanne (all Hermit-age), Agnes (Darkali), Christoph (Anusuya/Bliss), Island (Espace), Hans, Vengatesh (both Abri), Aviram (Sadhana Forest), Dave (Silence), Natasha (Evergreen), D. Segar (Nidal), Noe (New Lands), Jan (Fertile Field), Giri (Fertile East), Sandeep (Fertile), Veronica (Gaia), Yuval (Eternity), Philippe (Kalpana), P. Elumalai (Bliss), Henrike, Isa (both Mango Field) .

Topics discussedHermitage: Bernd introduced Andreanne and pro-

posed that she becomes co-steward of Hermitage for the next two years, after which she can take over as steward as he wishes to step down.

Andreanne and her partner Matthieu are already there and working on the land – Andreanne as an apprentice to Bernd. She is an Aurovilian since 2019 who grew up next to Hermitage and knows the land from her childhood; both are planning to stay in Arnold’s house.

Forest Group welcomes them as a strengthening of the community. Andreanne and Matthieu are asked to come to attend the meetings regularly and give updates. The Her-mitage team is also asked to sort out the issues on the land, including the relationships between the community members.

Hermitage: Bernd asks for a third watchman as he stewards about 70 acres and pressures on the borders are coming in from all sides. As the budget is reduced due to COVID and already distributed, it is agreed that whenever money is available it will be given to Bernd for this purpose.

The issue of a land dispute on the Hermitage border was discussed (once again). Recently a cowshed and other infrastructure have come up on land under litigation. Yuval informs that the Land Board is doing its best and the issue is still in Court.

Mango Field: Isa introduced Henrike as a suggested new member of Mango Field. Henrike is asking to convert the old seed room (built many years ago by Ed) and mea-suring around 9 x 4m into a simple living space for her.

Henrike has done green work in Auroville and is com-mitted to the forest work at Mango Field and elsewhere. The Forest Group members present were happy to wel-come her and her energy and have no objection to her becoming part of the Mango Field community and the For-est Group. It was also appreciated that instead of letting old structures fall apart, they get rather a new lease of life. Once the rest of the Forest Group approves (is not voicing objections), the Interim TDC will be informed about the change of purpose of this building. As there will be no change/extension of the existing foot print, it is felt that no official Building Application has to be filled.

Site plan showing Mango Field residential area

The existing structure

Bliss Forest/Youth CentreOn Wednesday 30th June, the Interim TDC came with

external surveyor Shaktivel. They asked to do a general topographic survey of the area. The stewards in communi-cation with the larger Forest Group agreed to such a survey as it could be the first step toward a development plan involving all stakeholders.

The survey team started from CSR as a starting point and worked their way to Bliss. Once reaching Bliss/YC, it became clear that they were only marking 4 lines – the edges of a 16 m wide road with a 9m wide service corridor.

The stewards objected as this was not the general topo-graphic survey agreed upon, but in fact only a marking of the RoW and as such not a qualified survey. Several mem-bers of the Forest Group, the Youth Centre and other con-cerned Aurovilians came to the location as silent presence. The surveyors left that day. All this is well documented on email.

The present Working Committee wrote to the stewards that one cannot object to a survey as the land is not private property. They themselves cannot stop the Interim TDC if they feel this work needs to be done. It is pointed out in the FG that this is a slippery slope – that would imply that TDC can do as it wishes without community process. Another concern is that after marking, it will be easy for TDC to is-sue the work order without going through the community channels.

The stewards of this area have since replied in detail to the Working Committee explaining their understanding of a difference between a RoW marking and a survey and the importance of collaborative processes when planning Auroville. The Working Committee has not replied.

Also several representatives of the Forest Group and the Youth Centre have since met the Auroville Council to explain and discuss.

Forest Group and concerned Aurovilians will again re-start the community-wide process on the larger topic of planning Auroville as was planned and announced during and after the General Meeting in March this year. There will be separate announcements on the next steps along with an open invitation to join this process.

Land Allocation in the GreenbeltJan (Fertile Field) brought up the topic of land alloca-

tion as several areas of land in the Greenbelt have been acquired. For all these, the Forest Group and the Green Group have followed their established process of alloca-tion and forwarded these recommendations to the Interim TDC and FAMC for approval so that the work of securing and working on the land could start.

The Interim TDC has since many months not replied to these but will finally meet representatives of the Green Group to discuss and explain why they decided to not fol-low an overall agreed and well-established process.

Meanwhile the stewards are advised to fence the land, especially as in the two recent cases the new plots are di-rectly connected to existing forest communities.

Domink’s house in EspaceThe process of finding an appropriate steward for

Dominik’s house in Espace is still ongoing. Island circulat-ed a document outlining the criteria for a new steward and Hans will write to the Housing Service to drive the process.

SeedsDavid showed the forest meeting a packet of 1 kg

of Dalbergia latifolia (Rosewood) seeds, which he had sourced from Kodaikanal. He said that it is unusual to har-vest such a quantity of that type. He is going to germinate them and believes that the success rate of germination for this type of seeds is very high.

The next Forest Group meeting will be on Friday, 6th August at Infinity. As usual a forest walk prior to the meet-ing could be an option.

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FROM THE ENTRY SERVICE – ES # 091Dated: 24-07-2021

The following people have been recommended by the Entry Board to join our community. Please share your feedback within 2 weeks for potential Newcom-ers, Associates and Friends of Auroville and within 4 weeks for Potential Aurovilians, Returning Aurovilians, Youth and Spouse/Partner of an Aurovilian in writing to: entryservice@auroville.org.in.

We thank you in advance.

NEWCOMER ANNOUNCED:Gopika

DHANUKARLuke

MARSHRaquel JOVER

Gopika DHANUKAR (Indian) staying in Center Field and working at Unity Pavilion

Luke MARSH (British) staying in Sadhana Forest and working at Sadhana Forest

Raquel JOVER (Spanish) staying in Invocation (Isora’s house in Sadaka) and working at Aire Masks

AUROVILIAN ANNOUNCED:Ganesh GOTHANDAPANI (Indian) staying

in Aspiration and working at IT 150 DPI

SPOUSE OF AN AUROVILIAN ANNOUNCED:Logeshwary VINAYAGAMOORTHY (Indi-

an) Spouse of Jayamoorthy Jayakannan (stay-ing in Humanscapes)

NOTE:The Newcomer probation year becomes

effective only after the NC kit has been re-turned and should not exceed 18 months from the date of confirmation.

A Newcomer becomes an Aurovilian once his/her name has been confirmed by The Admission Committee (aka the Entry Board) after following due process.

The date of becoming Aurovilian is the date of con-firmation. An Aurovilian confirmed by the Entry Board is eligible to participate in all community decision-making processes.

A confirmed Aurovilian becomes officially a Resident of Auroville once the individual has filled in and signed the B-Form and his/her name has been entered in the Register of Residents (RoR) maintained by the Auroville Foundation Office (AVF).

A Resident of Auroville is eligible to become an execu-tive of a Unit or Service of Auroville and to get an ID card issued by the Auroville Foundation.

A meeting with the Secretary of the AVF will be arranged by the Entry Secretariat according to the availability of the Secretary and not at any personal request.

Yours,The Entry Service

APARTMENT FOR TRANSFERCurrently available for transfer:Maitreye1 Mai004 (Couple/Family)To apply, please click on the new “Houses Available”

button in the very right column of the Auronet main page. You will be directed to our Housing Transfer App at https://housing.auroville.org.in All you need to do is:

Click on the transfer you are interested in, view all the details and pictures of the asset for transfer and if you wish to apply,

Click on the “Apply” button and fill in the online appli-cation form. Once the indicated deadline for applying has passed, you will receive an email from Housing Transfer with the date for the site visit.

For any questions, please feel free to come and see Venkatesh at Housing Service Office

Thank you, The Housing ServiceFor asset transfers

On Behalf of the Auroville Housing Service Team (Alexey, Aravind,, Savithri,Sundar, Venkatesh)

Best regards, Venkatesh, Sundar

BCC NARRATIVE REPORT: APRIL ’21 – JUNE ’21Dear Community, The BCC would like to share with you

a narrative report of issues addressed and decisions taken in the past 3 months, as a complement to our monthly report of income and expenses. We hope this can increase community-wide understanding of the economic issues af-fecting our community that fall within the BCC’s scope of work.

The report is covering the following topics:1. Donations2. Service Budgets3. Maintenances4. Non-recurring budget requests5. Community-at-large issues6. Management of Services7. Meetings with other groups/services8. Internal BCC team updates

Please read the full report in the Appendix 1 in the end of the issue

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A BIG THANK YOUTo all Aurovilians who gave their time to be an attendant for Sylvia in Jipmer.As the operation was on Fri-day 16th, attendance in Jipmer is needed for one-two more weeks.

Auroville Health Services (AVHS) need to ask you again to come forward and volunteer for a shift, either morning from 8 am till 2 pm or afternoon from 2 pm till 8 pm.

As before, AVHS is taking care of the night-shifts.Looking forward to hear from you, please contact cell

+91 9787626452.Thank you,

Auroville Health Services

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

Centre d’Art gallery in AugustDear All, we trust you are well. We are hoping to open the centre d’Art gallery in August with exhibitions, Artist talks and workshops.Please let us know when you want to start a monthly photo circle.

Warm regards, Sri/Centre d’Art,Centre d’Art Atelier Citadines Auroville,+91 413 2622699,

centredart@auroville.org.in, www.centredart.in

Unity looking for Strong CommitmentWe are looking for an Au-rovilian with a strong com-mitment to the ideals of Auroville who would like to work long term at the Unity Pavilion.The applicant needs to have leadership qualities, capacity for general man-agement and good team

collaboration, be able to supervise the daily work, have computer skills for communication and bookings, be host-ing and welcoming, and with a good sense of order and organization.

If you feel that this could be you and that you would like to work at the Unity Pavilion and be an es-sential part of the team here, please write to us on unitypavilion@auroville.org.in along with a CV or brief write up about yourself and your motivation to work at Unity Pavilion.

Further details of the work will be shared during the interview.

Many thanks, Meghafor the Unity Pavilion.

Phone: 0091-413-2623576Web site: unitypavilionauroville.com

P.S. The world is a Unity – it has always been and it is always so, even now it is so; it is not that it has not got the unity and the unity has to be brought in from outside and imposed upon it. Only the world is not conscious of its unity. It has to be made conscious.

Live-Streaming in the Park of Unity for the AVIs The Matrimandir Access Group wishes to inform the

community that on Sunday afternoons there will be a cam-era crew in the Matrimandir Gardens during the time the gardens are open.

This camera crew will be live-streaming from the gar-dens for our Auroville International family who are missing being able to come to Auroville and to visit the Gardens in person.

Please act accordingly and if you don’t want to be on camera please avoid them. Each week they will be in a different garden.

For the moment the project is in the trial stage. You will be informed again when the project is up and running.

Matrimandir Team

KINISI EV care for ALL electric vehiclesAt KINISI, we give excellent service to all electric vehicles,

regardless of where they were purchased. We have the expertise to maintain and repair your electric bicycle/scooter/motorcycle quickly and professionally.

Kinisi In-kind Mobility (KIM)Newcomers and Aurovilians can try our new models

and register for a KIM e-cycle at CSR, Auroshilpam.Kinisi In-kind Mobility is a novel mode of ownership,

where members make a reasonable monthly contribution and obtain an e-cycle for their private use. The e-cycle remains an Auroville asset and is maintained monthly by KINISI, free of charge. This provides members with all the advantages of ownership without its hassles.

You can log on to our website and put your name in the KIM scheme. We have a waiting list and distribute KIM e-cycles on a first-come, first-served basis.

We are open from 9 am to 12:30 and from 2:00 to 4:30 pm. Just give us a call at 8300460679 or log in to our website to book a spot.

Your KINISI TeamMusic CourseMusical Aural Training/Solfeggio,

aims to develop a sense of pitch and rhythm, through individual and group exercises, and thus allow one to trans-late sounds into and from Musical nota-tion.

Harmony, Music Theory & Counterpoint, aims at giving us the tools to understand how different types of music are built, and also help us to create our own musical composi-tions.

Music Composition is where we look at and discuss dif-ferent topics relevant to composers, and we also look at different compositions, as well as our own pieces, and we create different exercises to help us become more fluent in writing/composing our own music.

These are courses loosely based on international Music Conservatory Programs as well as musical higher studies, but flexible to our own informal setting, and adapted to suit our different levels.

Open to all. Regular attendance is encouraged. Limited places. Basic to advanced levels.For further information, and if interested, please contact

Pushkar at pushkar@auroville.org.in

Community News

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Call for Grant ProposalsSDZ Funding in 2021The Project Coordination Group (PCG) will be meet-

ing soon to review grant proposals for possible funding by Stichting De Zaaier. The last date for submitting pro-posals for this call is Monday, 9 August 2021. You are welcome to submit earlier or send us a draft version of your proposal for comment prior to the due date. (If you plan to submit a proposal, please carefully read this full announcement to the end!) All documents related to this purpose are to be submitted in the prescribed forms as at-tachments, emailed to pcg@auroville.org.in

Only those initiatives that can be carried out under pre-vailing COVID conditions will be considered.

Please note that in case your proposal is not ready by this date, another call for proposals for SDZ will be an-nounced later this year.

The Project Coordination Group will check whether proposals fall within the SDZ funding criteria and forward those that do to the SDZ Board for final selection and grant allocation.

Stichting de Zaaier welcomes project proposals for:• research studies in the fields of sociology, economy,

psychology and inner development;• exploratory (research) studies into the relations with

the world outside Auroville, in particular with the vil-lages (and villagers) surrounding Auroville, as well as proposals for initiatives that seek to contribute to strengthening these relations;

• initiatives that seek to enhance the efficient co-opera-tion of Aurovilians with the aim of making full use of the existing potential in Auroville;

• studies exploring a sustainable future for Auroville and initiatives contributing to such a future;

• initiatives requiring seed money (micro-projects) for innovative and informal education and training, women’s development, outreach as well as propos-als prepared by youth.

Please note that funds are generally not available for infrastructure, buildings or transport. Requests for equip-ment will only be considered if specifically required for the implementation of the project and are not already avail-able in Auroville.

Stichting De Zaaier has also indicated a preference for funding projects where the maintenance of Aurovilians is either provided by Auroville or from a source other than SDZ grants.

A grant application form and budget request spread-sheet are available on request from pcg@auroville.org.in or may be downloaded from the same announcement on Auronet.

NB If you have already received funding for a project through the Project Coordination Group please send in a progress report/status update (if the project is ongoing) or final report (if the project has been completed or all funds have been utilized) before making an application for a new grant.

Please note that if you are submitting a project that has anything to do with Auroville or Auroville Outreach schools, or, students of any individual classes, your project is to be reviewed by all concerned School Boards prior to the Project Coordination Group review. (Please contact all individual schools before submitting your proposal to the School Boards.) Therefore, it is important that all the rel-evant bodies (i.e. schools, teachers, school boards, etc.) are aware of your project and support it. In this way, the Project Coordination Group can more easily recommend

a project for funding knowing it will have the support of schools and thereby have a greater impact on the benefi-ciaries of the project.

For more information or assistance please write to pcg@auroville.org.in

The last date for submitting proposals for this call is Monday, 9 August 2021. Please submit earlier if possible.

NB There will be another opportunity to submit propos-als for funding by both Stichting De Zaaier and the Foun-dation for World Education later this year.

Integral HealthClassical homeopathy • Hypnotherapy • Child care

We are providing alternative health care for the body, mind and emotion through classical homeopathy and transper-sonal regression therapy since 2001. Homeopathy is the 2nd big-gest medicine globally, prac-

ticed since 200 years, and further developed by our teach-er Dr. Sankaran, Mumbai, www.theothersong.com

Prophylactic homeopathic remedy – Covid 19We dispense the AYUSH recommended homeopathic

remedy “Ars alb C 30” for all Aurovilians, through our rem-edy box in the waiting area, accessible 24/7. Instructions for its use are displayed. Aditi Patel, fully qualified classi-cal homeopath from Baroda, with 6 years of experience including working alongside an allopath onwards. Dr.Aditi works on appointments, phone her at 9428429642.

Sigrid offers consultancy since 1997, special focus on constitutional remedies for chronic diseases, migraine, au-toimmune diseases, and treatment of children incl special needs children and behavioral issues.

Malar offers consultancy in Tamil, as well as First Aid Remedies and PC remedies.

First Aid Kits with 32 remedies are available, descrip-tion in English, French, German and Tamil are available. Please contact us if you would like to learn how to use homeopathy for First Aid.

Available from our remedy box in the waiting area, 24-7, for free: PC Shock Trauma, PC Allergy, PC Diabetes, PC High Blood pressure etc. and 70 more PC remedies for trauma, as well as chronic diseases are available. Benefits are well established – no side effects.

Harmony and Samata, remedies related to Mothers and Sri Aurobindo energy.

Consultations are free for Aurovilians and newcomers From other people donations are welcome. Consulta-

tions are generally held in English, French, German, Gu-jarati and Tamil.

Malar is managing the office, the FirstAidKits and PC remedies, daily Mondays to Fridays 9 – 12.30 a.m,

You are welcome to contact us at integralhealth@auroville.org.in to enquire about the most suitable approach for your health or psychological issue.

Integral Health, Prayatna 2623669Sigrid, sigrid@auroville.org.in

www.sigridlindemann.comAditi, 9428429642

Malar, malar@auroville.org.in, 9080054843

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Magic DabbaDo you like food, cooked from the heart?Food for us means from the source of one’s being –

nothing less than art. Be it the organic produce we buy from our local farms here in Auroville or, how it got deliv-ered to you – at the happy cost of zero emission – thanks to our vision partner – Kinisi E-Mobility, to bring in the pos-sibility of delivering our little boxes of joy on their lovely E-cycles.

They say that when a thing has been dreamt of long enough, especially that which starts at the core, everything just weaves itself together.

We believe in being true to one’s nature. Magic Dabba. Did you like going places and felt right at home at those places! We’ll do just that with our food from different plac-es around India, predominantly from Kutch and Gujarat and the North in general, to your plate. We give it our best.

If you can be magnanimous and supportive, while your palate enjoys the home-made and healthy, you are very importantly contributing to the weaving of this carpet.

Welcome aboard to a long and a strong association.

Hola! This notification is to bring to your attention that in case you are looking for Yerba Mate I found a good brand in In-dia and all the custom duties have been cleared. If you want to order some Yerba Mate or need more info send me a message at matilde@auroville.org.in

Matilde

Trio KitchenWe are happy to announce that we are open again for take away.Our menu includes: Labane spread, Tzaziki spread, Humus spread, Pit-ta bread, chicken sandwich, Burger in a bun, Grilled chicken thigh and Grilled chicken breast. Please order a day before, pickup timing 10 A.M. to 6 P.M. from the Courage community.

For orders and price inquiry text or WhatsApp 9442644061 or call 9442645597.

Trio Kitchen,Liron and Yasmin

LOOKING FORI am looking for a house sitter to look after my animals for a week from 28th July to 4th August. My house is in Quiet. If interested please WhatsApp / SMS 9488483286 or shahnandi@gmail.com

NanditaI am looking for housing for a long period or to ac-quire an apartment or a house. pascalg758@gmail.com or WhatsApp +91 7867002093.

Thanks everyone, Best regards, Pascal

Looking House/Room/Place or Accommodation Hello everyone, I’m Santosh Jadhav, Aurovilian, 47 years old, single, working at Farewell and doing apprentice at Happy Glass Studio, staying in Centre Field, I’m in Auroville since 2010, I’m looking House/Room/Place or Accommodation to stay, if there is in any com-munity who likes to share would be great. My contact: 9585897677, santoshjadhav@auroville.org.in

Thanks, Santosh JadhavNeeds a Bicyle My housekeeper needs a second hand bicycle and is happy to pay for it if any such is available. It should be a medium size women’s bicycle. SMS/Whatapp 9488483286, nandita@sharan-india.org

NanditaLooking for an Old TV We are search-ing for a second-hand television for our oldest Aurovilian Mahalingam, Fraternity community. Please contact ph. no.9787626452

Thank you, Auroville Health Services

Seeking a House We are a family of three (2 adults and a 12-year-old child), we are volunteers and our daughter is go-ing to TLC. We are looking for a self-con-tained unit with 1 or 2 bedrooms with an independent kitchen.

We prefer if we can find some-thing in the center area of Auroville

as our daughter could cycle up to school and other activities. Please let us know if such a possibility ex-ists for long-term or short-term house sitting. Happy to compensate as required.

Nandini 9779140169, Sameer 9878450169

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TAXI SHARINGI am travelling to Chennai airport on 28th July leaving Auroville at 10 am and return on 4th August at about 11.30 am. Looking for a taxi share either way.

SMS/WhatsApp 09488483286 / nandita@sharan-india.orgNandita

AUROVILLE RADIODear Aurovilians, enjoy the programmes of your favourite radio. Stay tuned!Here you can listen to the stream channel (playing 24/7).Here you can see on-air schedules.

Last published podcasts:What do you know – ep. 15 “The Seven Tetrads of In-

tegral Yoga by and with Giacomo” (Yoga and Philosophy)Soul Tracks – The Mayfly Sessions, ep.11 (Music)Audible Weed Walk – ep.50 “We are celebrating : w/ a

weed walk and some snacks” (Food education)Neo Urban Chronik – S2-Ep.2 “Declaration of circum-

stance” (Humour)Savitri, B. X, C. II, Part 3 (Integral Yoga)Tamil Epics – ep 3 “மணிமேகலை” (Tamil culture)What do you know – ep. 14 “Will this contribute to the

growth of the flame? with Anshul” (Yoga and Philosophy)Marlenka’s Weekly Offering – ep.28 (Integral Yoga)Une série hebdomadaire de lectures par Gangalak-

shmi – 359 (Integral Yoga)...and more! on www.aurovilleradio.orgFor more information write to radio@auroville.org.in

“I belong to no nation, no civilisation, no society,no race, but to the Divine”

Sri Aurobindo

BIRGITTA IN GROUP SHOW in the Kunsthalle Schweinfurt

Birgitta takes part in the big art exhibition “V. Triennale Franken” as 1 of 10 selected artists from the south of Germany. The theme is “Truth” and from 1st of July to 5th of September 2021 some of her most impressive, magic bark prints are shown in the Museum of Modern Art “Kunsthalle Schweinfurt”.

The size of her work is ranging from 4 m large banners to a small A4 print and they are forming an impressive installation.

If you like to see more please have a look at http://www.birgittavolz.de/austriennale2021.htm.

Also her “Dancing Ganesha” banner, which was printed in Auroville, is in this exhibition.

Regarding the theme she says: “Every person has her own perception, which is forming her own reality. Through my bark prints I try to share my perception with you and give you access to my own genuine truth”.

AUROFILM PRESENT“CINE-MASTER CLASS” 5.00 – 7.30 pm SATURDAY 31 JULY 2021 Aurofilm, Kalabhoomi (next to CRIPA)

If you like to discuss, share and learn more about films and Cinema, we invite you to our Cine-Master classes!

Welcome to the 12th chapter led by Philippe on:“AU HASARD BALTHAZAR” (BALTHAZAR) by Robert Bresson (1966)Overview: Robert Bresson, who believed that the “Cin-

ematograph” could be elevated as one of the purest art form, is considered one of most influential movie maker in history. His style was unique, uncompromising, humanist and poetic.

He delivered “Au Hazard Balthazar” in 1966, his sixth feature film out of 13.

The film shows the life of a simple donkey in the chang-ing society of the rural France of that time. But Balthazar’s story is universal in its witnessing humanity.

After a quick presentation of Bresson’s work and few keys to help apprehend the film, the projection will be fol-lowed by an open and informal discussion.

Film in its French Original version with Engl. Subtitles, dur. 1h.35’ – Discussion in English.

Philippe, IT engineer, Auroville forester and discernant film-lover.

We follow the Covid-19 SOP. For your information, the Aurofilm building is half open-air. You may carry your torch light.

C O H E R E N C EOn the starlit path of the Saptarishis

The tradition that keeps traditions aliveHumble salutations to the dispeller of darkness

Guru Brahma Guru Vishnu Guru Devo Maheshwara

P A R A M P A R AMatrimandir Amphitheatre 6:30 – 7:30 pm, Friday

23rd July 2021Meghana Sardar (Bhinna Shadaj) . Uday Bhawalkar

(Bhimpalas)Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar (Marwa)

(Recorded music curated by Chandra Pai

Voices and Notes

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SRI AUROBINDO’S GAYATRI MANTRA

For the opening of the year of Sri Aurobindo’s 150th birth anniversary, we invite you all to sing Sri Aurobindo’s Gayatri Mantra with the sunrise on 15th August 2021, following the lighting of the dawn fire and meditation at the Matrimandir Amphitheater. Everyone present that morning will be invited to join in this collective Invocation.

The melody chosen is that of Sunil-da, an eminent com-poser and lovingly known as the Mother’s musician in the Ashram.

We welcome everyone to come for practice sessions, as often as you can, to form the large body of beautiful voices carrying the mantra. Your aspiration, presence and participation is sure to enhance the joy and beauty of this very special occasion.

The practice sessions will start from July 18th, 2021.Days & Time: Every Sunday and Friday from 6.00 pm onwardsVenue: Matrimandir AmphitheatreLooking forward to seeing you all there.

Samskritam Aurovilleand Sri Aurobindo’s 150th Birth

Anniversary Celebration Team

CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS

2ND ONLINE 6-DAY VISION IMPROVEMENT COURSEDear Friends, The Mother’s Integral Health Centre is going to conduct 2nd Online 6-Day Vision Improve-ment Course on request of many in-terested individuals ONLINE due to Covid-19, from July 31 to August 5, 2021.For relevant information, a registra-tion form and for any queries, please

contact the phone number/email address provided below.

POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENT OF VISION IN CASES OF:• Myopia (short-sightedness)• Hyperopia (long-sightedness)• Presbyopia (age related reading problem)• Astigmatism (blurred, fuzzy or distorted vision)• and/or control of vision deterioration

The Mother’s Integral Health CentreSri Aurobindo Ashram-Delhi Branch,

88005 52685 (Sanjeeb), 01126567863,tmihc2000@gmail.com,

www.sriaurobindoashram.net

AIKIDO CLASSESAikido classes at Auroville Budokan

(Dehashakti): We have restarted our early morning Martial Art practice with Begin-ners & all levels with Murugan/Surya on Tuesday & Thursday 6.00 to 7.15 am

and Saturday 6.30 to 7.30 am. Please be at the Dojo/Budokan 10-15 min. before the

class starts. Welcome to watch a class before you join. Beginners may wear long loose pants & t-shirt with

sleeves for the start (no sleeveless and tight fitting please) then a white “keikogi” will be required –we have some.

For all activities at the AV Budokan: Health Fund or pri-vate insurance necessary and reasonable contribution for the Dojo required.

For Children classes and more info, please write to budokan@auroville.org.in or contact Surya: 04132623813 or 8300189062; Murugan: 9952812843.

With enough demand, different timing (morning, after-noon) could be added. Let us know!

REMEMBERING AND CELEBRATING NOLLY

INDIAN RECIPES AND COOKING CLASSIf you are interested in learning Indian recipes/cooking, please feel free to What-sApp me at 8270512606 or email me at ashree@auroville.org.in

Thank you, Ashwini (Aspiration Community)

Have a great day, Warmly, AshwiniAspiration Community, Auroville

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JIVA – YOUR JOURNEY IN HEALING AND TRANSFORMATIONJiva is a growing collaborative of highly expe-rienced therapists living in Auroville. Therapy, Workshops, Retreats and Courses and Classes. We offer transformational practices addressing all issues of body, mind, emotion and soul, for conscious evolution. Acupuncture, Shiatsu, QiGong, TaijiChuan, En-

ergy work, FastingNatural Horsemanship, Horse assisted Therapy, Vedic

Astrology, Medical Clowning, Yoga Nidra, Gentle Birth & pregnancy, Integral Regressiontherapy, trauma therapy, advanced classical homeopathy

www.auroville-jiva.comWhatsapp 9626006961, contact@auroville-jiva.comFacebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/1025676841155617

Explore your mind3-day workshop in hypnotherapy 23, 24 & 25 JulyThe answers you seek never come when the mind is

busy, they only come when is stillCertified course from EKAA www.ekaa.co.in23th July, Fri 4 − 7 pm, 24, 25 July 9- 5.30 pmat Sharnga Guesthouse YogahallInfo meeting 21 July at 5- 5.30 pm. at Sharnga Guesthouse TerraceTrainer: Sigrid Lindemann Certified Faculty in Hypno-

therapy, Regressiontherapy and Classical homeopathy, Germany and Auroville www.sigridlindemann.com

Venue: Sharnga Guesthouse Yogahallwww.sharngaguesthouse.in

Meditation for Children24 July 4 PM at Sri Ma, Yoga Room above the SpaWe welcome Kids in the age group of 5-12 once a months for our medi-tation sessions to Explore themselves and to Have fun!Meditation only for kids.Parents are welcome for having a quick discussion after the Medita-

tion, to discuss issues with Sensitive children. Meditation only for kids.Facilitated by Egle and Jeyaprakash Ph/WA: +91 9843134414

Holotropic Breathwork30, 31 July & 1 Aug 2021

Intense breathing technique re-sults in a “holotropic state” bringing on an increase in life energy.

Presenter: Fr Thomas Kurian-thanam, trained in the US, and rep-

resenting Grof Transpersonal Training (GTT) in India and Sri Lanka. Thomas Kurianthanam has been offering ho-lotropic breathwork retreats and workshops since 2016, to over 1200 people mostly in India and US. Thomas K C represents Grof Transpersonal Training (GTT) in India and Sri Lanka.

All info and registration : contact@auroville-jiva.com WA 9626006961

The Way of the SufiRetreat with Nirupam Gyan 4- 8 Aug 2021

Find yourself whirling... Sufi Zikr & Whirling, Sacred Gurdjeff dances, active meditations, breath, dance... woven together magically.. Your heart will open wide, your mind still... you see the world flying by...Sufi Whirling is an ancient transformative practice The Sufi Way Retreat is a life changing event, Nirupam Gyan sufi is sharing

Sufi & Gurdjeff & more internationally for over a decade, 3 previous workshops here have met with an overwhelming response.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cvgL9ZptVYPhotos of the retreat: https://www.facebook.com/

groups/1025676841155617 All info and registration Sigrid, contact@auroville-jiva.com

WA 9626006961

Natural HorsemanshipMirrabelle offers webinars, classes and workshops in “Natural Horse-manship” – you choose when!Natural Horsemanship focuses on body language of horse and hu-man, which is universal, by effec-tively using intention and centered presence to communicate clearly, with purpose, and without violence.

This is the key to building a vocabulary with the horse, your partner. Experience yourself beyond words! 7 horses and ponies of all sizes and temperaments are curious to know you!

Natural horsemanship improves your self confidence, your trust, your skills in nonverbal communication – and its just fun time to BE with a sensitive, naturally trained horse!

Mirrabelle lives with horses since she is 3 years young. Past 10 years she fulfils her life`s dream to bring children, adults and horses together in a healing way, in Auroville, Sharnga Guesthouse.

Mirrabelle has studied human and horse psychology, and offers consultancy on all aspects of horse care – hoofs, nutrition, psychology, care!

Contact Whatsapp 9626565134 contact@auroville-jiva.com Classes via Zoom work super good! TRY!

UNLOCKING YOUR HAPPINESS: KEY TO DESTRESS

A 2-Day Interactive Funshop with MeDiClown Acad-emy POSTPONED July 31-August 1 (9:30pm – 5:00pm) in CRIPA

Please check the News and Notes 879, July 17 edition for details

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NEW CLASS AT PITANGAAdvance registration requiredA Sense of Balance: A Body – Mind PracticeOsnat (physiotherapist) will offer a physiotherapy pro-

gram for improving balance and fall prevention for senior Aurovillians (65+) from August 4th, 2021 onwards.

The program involves 8 sessions in which you will learn tools from different approaches to bring a change in your motor and cognitive patterns for better sense of balance, improved muscular control and self-confidence.

Time: Wednesdays 9:00am – 10:30amAugust 4th- September 22nd at Pitanga.Regular attendance is expected.Pre-registration is required, because of limited number

of participants.Please register at Pitanga, Phone: 2622403. For further information please contact

osnat@auroville.org.inPitanga Cultural Centre,

Samasti, (0413) 262 2403 pitanga@auroville.org.in

NEWS FROM AUROVILLE LANGUAGE LAB

ALL: SCHEDULE OF CLASSES as of 13.07.2021

Language Level TimeDay(s) of Classes

English Beginner & Pre- Intermediate

10:00 am – 11:00 am

Tues & Thur

Intermediate 03:00 pm – 04:00 pm

Wed & Fri

Intermediate/Advanced

10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Sat

French Beginner To be determined!

Intermediate 11:00 am – 12:00 pm

Tues & Thur

Workbook Ses-sions

10:00 am – 11:00 am

Fri

German A1.2 Level Please See Online Schedule!

Hindi Beginner To be determined!

Tamil Spoken Begin-ner

09:30 am – 10:30 am

Tues & Fri

Beginner (previously on-line group)

03:15 pm – 04:15 pm

Mon & Thur

Beginner To be determined!

Spanish Beginner To be determined!

Intermediate 03:30 pm – 05:00 pm

Tues & Thur

ALL: SCHEDULE OF ONLINE CLASSES as of 13.07.2021

Language Level Time Day

German

(started 14th Jun)

A1.2 04:30 pm – 06:00 pm

Mon & Thur

In-Person Classes Start AgainWe are happy to announce that in-person classes will

start again at the Lab, as long as everyone follows the SOPs regarding washing hands, writing their names & contact info in the Covid tracking register, taking tempera-ture, using the sanitiser, wearing masks in the public areas, & social distancing.

Tomatis UpdatesThere are spaces available for both language & thera-

peutic programmes! Please contact 4036922 to schedule your Listening

Tests & Consultations. German Update: Verena’s BACK!! Yay! German classes will restart soon! There will be a new Beginners group, & previous stu-

dents are most welcome for higher levels. Please stay tuned!

Tamil UpdatesSaravanan’s pre-lockdown Spoken Tamil Beginners

group will start again; you know who you are, so drop us an email confirming your attendance!

Murugesan will start a new afternoon Tamil Beginners group, which will be based on learning the Tamil alphabet, reading & writing. We have received very good feedback from students in the ongoing batch, who are really enjoy-ing learning Tamil! Please get in touch with us ASAP so we may form a new group!

Spanish UpdatesMila is waiting for six students to start a new Beginners

group. If interested, please let us know! The Upper-Inter-mediate & Intermediate groups continue.

English UpdatesWe are really happy to welcome Anushka (she with the

marvellous voice), who is from the UK. She will replace Miko who has returned to the US for a little while.

All of Miko’s English students are welcome back to the first class, which was on Friday 9th July, 03:00pm – 04:00pm. Others are welcome too! Spaces are available!

Vatsla had resumed her Intermediate/Advanced group, which meets on Saturday mornings.

Rupam started a new group for Beginners in the morn-ings, on Tuesdays & Thursdays, 10:00am – 11:00am.

French UpdatesChris will continue to teach the pre-lockdown Be-

ginners group which restarted on Thursday 8th July, 11:00am – 12:00pm.

The Language Lab is open:Monday – Friday: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm & 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm,Saturday: 9:00 am to 12:00 pm.

Location:International Zone, after Unity Pavilion & Pump House.Phone: (0413) 2623 661, 4036920/22.Email: info@aurovillelanguagelab.org

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SOUL OF SOILAuroville & Kazhuveli

Bio-Region Eco Experience Program

Touch ◦ Ride ◦ Feel ◦ Taste ◦ Hear ◦ Discover ◦ Experience

Coming Soon Steam & Diet CaféMohanam Steam and Diet Cafe is a speciality restau-

rant creating handcrafted, wholesome and nutritionally balanced healthy recipes using traditional ingredients and herbs. We will be soon open for lunch, dining and take-away.

For more information contact us:mohanamprogram@auroville.org.in, 8300949079

Opening Arimugam Help Desk at Mohanam Village Heritage Centre:Do you know about the Mohanam Village and Heritage

Centre?The first cultural centre in the bio region, established

more than twenty years ago to bridge villages to interna-tional community by strengthening art and craft segment. Mohanam believes in the power of connecting individuals through specialized network and cultural exchange pro-grams.

Come and meet us at “Arimugam help desk” a network that acts like an assistance centre, unique to the bio region. The goal of Arimugam would be to provide the needed and necessary information, network and linkages to the newcomers, guests and visitors and enable them to facili-tate their interaction with the bio region. Arimugam is on a mission to enhance the relationship between Auroville and surrounding villages to empower the community.

We invite you to reach out for art, craft, agriculture and culture related projects related to empowerment, livelihood and impact creation. Join us if you are interested to learn, collaborate and if you are looking for mentorship.

For more information contact us:mohanamprogram@auroville.org.in, 8300949079

Workshops and Activities at Auroville Bio-region Art and Craft PavilionDo you know about the Auroville Bio-region Art and

Craft Pavilion at Mohanan Village and Heritage centre which is a platform for creators, artisans and craftsmen. We invite you to explore and participate in the Clay art, Kolam painting, Musical instruments making, Bamboo jewellery, Palm and Coconut craft and Bamboo toys and a lot more...

Come and Check out to get hands on immersive ex-perience of the art and Craft Pavilion and meet our young artists. Come and enjoy the creative expressions with your kids, family and friends.

(with basic Contribution from each participant)Day and Time: Everyday Except Sunday between 10 am to 4 pm (Pre booking is mandatory)For more information contact us:mohanamprogram@auroville.org.in, 8300949079

Indo African Drum Circle with food and CampfireEnjoy the evening with blissfull fusion of instrumental

music, freestyle dancing and traditional drumming with campfire, accompanied by traditional tamil dish.

(with basic Contribution from each participant)Day and Time: Every Wednesday between 6.30 to 8 pm

(Pre booking is mandatory)Venue: Mohanam Village Heritage CentreFor more information contact us:Phone: 8300949079

Tamil Language Class with Anand AnnaThose who are interested to join in spoken tamil class.

Please enroll your name with us.Day and Time: Every Monday and Thursday between

10 to 11 am (Pre registration is mandatory)Venue: Mohanam Village Heritage CentreCall us or mail us for the registration:mohanamprogram@auroville.org.in, 8300949079

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT NEWS & NOTES

HARD DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS OR CANCELLATIONS: TUESDAY 5PM

FOR THE ISSUE TO BE PUBLISHED THAT SATURDAY(THOUGH THE DIGITAL VERSION GENERALLY GOES OUT

ON THURSDAY)The contents of News & Notes are a reflection of the

growth process of this community towards its ideals of harmony, goodwill, discipline and truth. Editing of submis-sions, mainly for reasons of space and clarity, is done ac-cording to an established policy. How to submit material: Material (no pdf files, please) may be sent (in English only) to: newsandnotes@auroville.org.in.

Please do NOT send submissions and inquiries as a “Reply” to the digital subscription mail. There is NO guar-antee that anyone will see communications sent this way!

Please try your best to send your announcements, reports, film schedules whenever they are ready. Any modifications of submitted News items must be sent to the editors before Tuesday 5pm. Please do your best to submit copy that is ready for printing (i.e. Word shows you typos, extra spaces, punctuation errors, etc – don’t make us do all the work!).

We regret not being able to attend to visitors on Tues-days, Wednesdays & Thurs AM due to work pressure.

Articles for the Notes section should ideally be no longer than 500 words.

Visiting hours: Hit or Miss. Call first or email for ap-pointment.

Disclaimer: The views expressed on these pages are those of their respective authors or work groups and do not represent the position of the editors or of the community as a whole. The News & Notes serves as a channel for the publication of material coming from trusted sources within Auroville. The editors cannot be held accountable for any alleged misinformation given or offence caused. In case of any dispute, the Auroville Council may be consulted and publishing of disputed material suspended.

News & Notes, Media Centre, Town Hall: 0413-262-213

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BCC NARRATIVE REPORT: APRIL ’21 – JUNE ’21Dear Community, The BCC would like to share with you

a narrative report of issues addressed and decisions taken in the past 3 months, as a complement to our monthly report of income and expenses. We hope this can increase community-wide understanding of the economic issues af-fecting our community that fall within the BCC’s scope of work.

Donations1. Individual donation: Auroville received a large con-

tribution ( Rs. 1,44,40,000 Cr), to the City Services budget, from a donor who regularly gives for land.

2. AVI-USA fundraising: In May, City Services received (RS:23,62,000) from a total of 147 donors who par-ticipated in a fundraising effort led by AVI-USA.

Service BudgetsThe BCC has not yet sent out any new budget request

forms as the economic situation is so uncertain. Services are welcome to approach BCC for any required changes on a case-by-case basis. Approved increases in the period April - June ‘21:

1. Auroville Ambulance: The Auroville Ambulance team requested that the BCC approve a separate budget from Sante for AV Ambulance for more au-tonomous operations, and to increase it. The request was to increase the Maintenance budget from 1 FT and 2 Apprenticeship Maintenances to 2 FT and 2 HT Maintenances, and to increase their recurring budget from Rs. 11,000/month to Rs. 30,000/month. • BCC and Sante approved the Auroville Ambu-

lance team’s request to have a separate budget from Sante.

• A total of 2FT, 1HT and one on-going Apprentice-ship Maintenance was approved.

• The recurring budget increase to a total of Rs. 30,000 monthly was approved, with the under-standing that effective from May 2021, all emer-gency retrievals will be free of cost.

Contributions will be requested for non-emergen-cy trips only, and credited to the BCC (via a collec-tion account). The following rates will apply:a. For local non-emergency trips within Pondi-

cherry area: ▪ Aurovilian/Newcomer: Rs. 2,000 ▪ Volunteer/Intern/Employee: Rs. 3,000 ▪ Guest: Rs. 4,000

b. For non-emergency trips to Chennai: ▪ Aurovilian/Newcomer: Rs.10,000 ▪ Volunteer/Intern/Employee: Rs. 11,000 ▪ Guest: Rs. 12,000

3. Auroville Safety and Security Team (AVSST): The AVSST approached the BCC for an increase of Rs. 49,759 in their recurring budget (towards wages in-creases, teas etc.), to a total of Rs. 5,31,959 monthly. This was approved.

4. Auroville Town Development Council (ATDC): The ATDC requested a significant increase in both their Maintenance and recurring budgets, explaining that other sources of funding that were financing these (individual contributions, GOI grant etc.) were dry-ing up, and that these consisted of basic adminis-trative expenditures that the Auroville community should support (as opposed to research studies, for example). In addition to the 5 FT Maintenances al-ready allocated to the ATDC and used by members of the Interim team, they requested an additional 12,5 Maintenances for Aurovilians working in the ATDC office. They also requested an increase in their recur-

ring budget from Rs. 67,000 to Rs. 2,2L per month. Given that the budget increases are only exception-ally allocated during this Covid time, and that the in-crease was so significant, the BCC held a joint meet-ing with the FAMC and ATDC team to discuss their request. The ATDC stated that their priority was Main-tenances for the Aurovilians working in the ATDC of-fice, who are currently supported by other sources. The BCC team is undertaking interviews with all those currently working in the ATDC to determine the roles and responsibilities, working hours, and current Maintenance needs as per our regular process.

5. Farm Group: The BCC approved an additional 2FT Maintenances and one Apprenticeship Maintenance for the Farm Group to be relooked in March ’22. An additional 2,5 Maintenances were freed up in the existing budget by shifting senior farmers who had been serving for many years under the PSS (Personal and Social Support) budget head or have serious health problems.

6. Health Fund: The Health Fund requested a half Maintenance and Rs. 3,000 recurring budget for ad-ministrative expenses, so that the funds received as Health Fund contributions can be used only for health related expenses as per the guidelines.

7. Puncture Service: A BCC subgroup (Inge and En-rica) had several meetings with the Puncture Service team to understand their way of functioning and their financial needs. We approved 1 additional mainte-nance request on top of the 2 already existing full time maintenance as well as a monthly recurring budget of Rs. 25,816 to give full financial support for 2 external workers and all running costs. The Punc-ture service is herewith a service fully supported from the City service budget to give free service to Aurovil-ians and newcomers.

Maintenances1. Adult CS Maintenance Increase: As of June 2021,

all adult City Service Maintenances have been in-creased by 6%, and all components are transferred at the beginning of the month. See our Auronet post for details.

Care Package Half Time Full TimeCash - 3000 6000Kind - 1250 6750Lunch 2050 2050 2050Health Fund (HF) 500 500 500

In Kind Sheme (IKS) 1700 1700 1700

Total 4250 8500 17000

2. Updated Temporary Emergency Maintenance Guidelines: As of June 2021, Temporary Emergency Maintenances are available to any Aurovilian who chooses to volunteer at an existing activity, unit or service that has insufficient funds to support them with maintenance, and who is in financial need. See our Auronet post for details. As of June 1st Tempo-rary Emergency Maintenances were disbursed to 61 adults (Rs. 6 L/month) and 26 children (Rs. 99,000/month).

3. Bridging Maintenances: On March 31st, 2021 the Temporary Emergency Bridging Maintenance policy was dissolved as planned. The regular Bridging Main-tenance policy is back into effect as of April 1st, 2021.

APPENDIX 1

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Non-recurring budget requests1. Access to Matrimandir/VC Parking (on-going):

Due to the extended Covid lockdown protocols VC Parking is still closed. BCC continues the same pro-cess of approving monthly expenses established since the first closure. Some communication with the Matri-mandir team to share costs is on-going with the BCC support group.

2. AV Artists: Auroville Artists submitted a budget re-quest of Rs. 2.25L for a total of 14 performances in the upcoming year. Rs. 1.5L was approved, to be dis-bursed only when the Covid guidelines will allow live performances.

3. CRIPA Repairs: The BCC approved Rs. 2.9L for an essential roof repair for the CRIPA building.

4. Darkali: BCC approved a Land Board request of Rs. 30,000 for a wall to be built to avoid encroachment in Darkali.

5. Farm Group Coordination Team (FGCT): In early June, a combination of factors negatively impacted the distribution of farm produce: lockdown, the tem-porary closure of Solar Kitchen, and a holiday break of the PTDC kitchen. The FGCT requested a guar-antee of financial support (amounting to 1L over a period of 1 month) that they could use if needed to subsidise the price of Auroville farm produce in or-der to make it affordable to Auroville eateries that are currently buying from outside. This was seen as a positive opportunity to improve distribution chan-nels for Auroville farm produce into the future. The amount of 1L was guaranteed for the month of June.

6. Film Festival: The Auroville Film Festival requested Rs. 51,000 to rent equipment. The BCC informed them to make a request to Auroville Artists, who had been allocated an annual budget for performances.

7. Land Board meeting room: The BCC approved a to-tal of Rs. 1.16L for sound-proofing of the Land Board meeting room.

8. Pour Tous Water Tractor: The BCC approved Rs. 30,430, the total cost of the repair of the PTW tractor.

9. Road Service: The BCC agreed to the Road Service’s request of Rs. 80,000 to cover the salaries of its work-ers during the 2-week full lockdown, given that the service was unable to finance these.

10. Scholarship Fund: The BCC approved a Rs. 6L an-nual budget for the Scholarship Fund to disburse.

11. School Repairs: The BCC approved Rs. 8.8L for sum-mer repairs of Auroville schools + Rs. 5.8L for Out-reach Schools.

12. Sri Aurobindo 150th Anniversary: The BCC received a request for financial support from the Sri Aurobindo 150th Anniversary for events and human resources for this year-long programme. A subgroup of the BCC (Suryamayi, Mahi, Enrica) met with the team to better understand their plans, needs and other sourc-es of funding. The BCC is expecting a more detailed request from the 150th team following this meeting.

13. Street lights repair: The BCC approved a request from the Auroville Safety and Security Team for a Rs. 1.5L budget for the repair and maintenance of Auro-ville’s street lights.

14. SAIIER Transport: The BCC approved Rs. 3.1L for fitness certificates, road taxes, and legally required CCTV cameras for school buses

15. Matrimandir celebration: Rs. 7,000 was approved for a flower decoration for the April 24th offering.

Community-at-large issues1. Update on Solar Fund & Average Pooled Electric-

ity Cost Proposals: A subgroup of the BCC (Mahi, Margarita, Suryamayi) completed its review of two proposals brought to the BCC and FAMC by Martin and Toine of Auroville Consulting: • The “Average Pooled Electrical Cost” (APEC) pro-

posal, to implement single electricity costing for every Auroville electrical service connection point, independent of the type of connection (LT or HT), and potentially of the source (TNEB, Solar, or Wind).

• The Solar Fund proposal, to use part of the Au-roville Foundation’s financial capital to invest in additional solar energy capacity.

2. This review was based on a series of meetings be-tween BCC members and members of Auroville Consulting, AVES, Varuna, Sunlit Future, the former FAMC, and members of Auroville’s Investment Com-mittee. • Based on the subgroup’s report, the BCC and

FAMC could not endorse the APEC proposal. While it was recognized that the proposal has positive vi-sion elements, there were too many foreseeable negative practical repercussions raised in meet-ings with other stakeholders.

• The Solar Fund proposal was explored with mem-bers of the Investment Committee, who found that while it was a good investment proposal, it could not be carried out as designed in the Au-roville context given that only loans can be given from Auroville’s financial assets, as these are not ‘undesignated’ but represent the reserves of units, funds designated for specific projects, etc.

However, it was proposed that advances could be made to accountable project holders for solar in-stallations, repayable with the avoided electricity costs (which for many Services are funded by the BCC). This has already been successfully under-taken by Unity Pavilion in collaboration with Sunlit Future.

It was also recommended by several stakeholders to explore CSR funding for increasing Auroville’s solar energy capacity.

The full subgroup report is available with BCC for those who wish to consult it.

Management of Services1. ACARAT (update): In our previous report, we shared

that the BCC had proposed to the FAMC that the funds and assets database project ACARAT, developed with GOI funds by the previous FAMC team, be registered as a City Service activity with an on-going City Ser-vices budget as this represents a valuable community resource. The FAMC decided to retain ACARAT as a project under the FAMC.

2. AV Arts Service: In May ‘21, the FAMC approached the BCC with a request to form a joint subgroup to undertake a pilot study with Auroville Arts Service to explore the possibility of of new contribution policy for hybrid units such as AV Arts Service, that have both a service and income-generating aspect. In the past and present it has been sought to split such hy-brids into 2 entities to maintain clarity, but this is not always possible. AV Arts Service agreed to participate in this pilot project, which is currently in a preliminary stage of brainstorming.

3. Bharat Nivas (update): reached to BCC for more support. It is in the process.

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To the content4. City Services Unit: A subgroup of the BCC and FAMC

(Danny, Rathinam, Angelo) are exploring the possibil-ity of opening a City Services unit within which to regis-ter all City Services, and channel City Services income. They have also met with the Prosperity team who are reflecting on the same topic.

5. Guest Registration & Accommodation Service: As of May ‘21, the Guest Registration and Accommo-dation Service, which ensures that guests are legally registered, is receiving a budget under its own bud-get head, rather than under the GFCG (Guest Facili-ties Coordination Group) budget head. The recurring budget is Rs. 14,200 monthly towards office expenses.

6. N&N: Swaha, editor of N&N, had to suddenly leave Auroville for personal reasons in June. As the N&N is a City Service, the existing BCC subgroup to N&N (Hans and Suryamayi) stepped in to help form a new team. This is in process.

7. Pour Tous Water (on-going topic): In our last report, we published that the Service Trust had agreed to reg-ister Pour Tous Water (PTW) as a service unit. However, they were unsuccessful in appointing new executives, and informed the BCC that they would therefore not be able to register it. The BCC is following up and the BCC office is continuing to oversee the PTW accounts.

8. Solar Kitchen (ongoing topic): In early May, the Solar Kitchen executives wrote to BCC and FAMC sharing that the Solar Kitchen would reach a substantial mi-nus at the end of May, and asking if financial support for the Solar Kitchen could be provided or if the Solar Kitchen ought to close temporarily. Members of the BCC and FAMC, later joined by members of the Work-ing Committee, had tried for almost a year to reach an agreement on how to improve the economic situation at Solar Kitchen, while it still had substantial reserves (see previous BCC Narrative reports for details). The insolvency of the Solar Kitchen being a risk to the City Services budget, it was decided to temporarily close the Solar Kitchen as of June 1st. (For this reason, the FAMC had shared with the Solar Kitchen executives and the community that it was not appropriate to en-gage in fundraising efforts at this moment, as this did not really address or resolve the underlying issues with the functioning of the Solar Kitchen).

The existing joint task group of BCC, FAMC and WCom members collaborated on the various aspects involved in the temporary closure of the Solar Kitchen:• The BCC is disbursing 13 Full Time equivalent

Temporary Emergency Maintenances for all of the Aurovilians working at Solar Kitchen

• All of the Solar Kitchen employees have been re-trenched.

• On-going expenses of the Solar Kitchen asset (such as compound maintenance) are being covered by City Services.

• An asset and stock registry has been obtained.• Other eateries who could provide lunch scheme

rate lunches were identified and shared with com-munity members, and many last minute data en-tries were done to make it possible for people to switch.

• The Solar Kitchen executives agreed to resign; this is pending an investigation into allegations made by Aurovilians working at Solar Kitchen. In the meantime they have been assisting with the clo-sure.

• The subgroup is working on outlining a vision for the future of the Solar Kitchen with manage-ment guidelines and operational parameters, to be shared with the community with a call for new team members.

The BCC extends its thanks to the whole Solar Kitchen team for their long service, and to Koodam for facili-tation support in the transition period.

Meetings with other groups/services1. ATDC (joint meet with FAMC): The BCC invited ATDC

to a joint meeting with the FAMC to discuss a signifi-cant budget request increase. See “Service Budgets” section above for details.

2. Citizens’ Assembly: The BCC met with the Citizens’ Assembly team to hear a presentation of their pilot collective decision-making process on water. Overall it was felt that the process was valuable for Auroville, and that the BCC could look at how to support future processes and the implementation of the outcomes of the pilot process on water.

3. Farm Group (on-going): A subgroup of the BCC (Inge, Hans, Suryamayi) has continued meeting with the new Farm Group Coordination Team, and FoodLink, to reflect together on new ways for BCC to support the farms in providing sustenance for the community. So far additional Maintenances have been approved (see “Service Budgets” above), and a guarantee of financial support towards subsidising farm produce if needed to assist distribution during lockdown (see “Non-recurring budget requests” above). Brainstorming on other forms of long-term support is on-going.

4. HR Hub: In May ‘21, the BCC invited the HR Hub team to explore whether they could a) support Aurovilians currently on a Bridging Maintenance to find new jobs and b) serve as a collection point for current volun-teering opportunities at Auroville units and services, for community members who wish to apply for a Tempo-rary Emergency Maintenance but are not yet engaged anywhere. The HR Hub team agreed to support both aspects. They also commented that many units are looking for highly skilled people while many applicants have very basic skills, and that those units and services who receive community members with a Temporary Emergency Maintenance provided by the BCC could be encouraged to provide them with some training. We hope this will create new pathways for those commu-nity members looking for long-term work opportunities in Auroville.

5. Mattram: In May ‘21, the BCC invited Mattram to see how we can support each other in supporting Auro-vilians during this difficult lockdown period. The BCC wanted Mattram to be well-informed of the econom-ic support available to Aurovilians so that they could communicate these with community members who reach out to Mattram for support, or know they could refer them to BCC. Mattram shared that so far, people they met with already had some kind of financial sup-port from BCC, and we were happy to know people were informed about and availing of this. Mattram also invited BCC to refer those first approaching BCC for financial support to Mattram if we come to know of people in need of emotional and psychological sup-port. BCC let Mattram know to reach out to us if more financial support is needed to support the Mattram team in this difficult time.

6. Sante Coordination Team and Working Committee Covid response: In May ‘21, the BCC met with mem-bers of the Sante Coordination team and WCom to discuss urgent budgetary needs for the Covid response given the surge of Covid positive cases in Auroville. The WCom and Sante Coordination team members explained that the these were:• Equipping the Sharanam guesthouse at Bharat

Nivas so that it could operate as a facility where patients with Covid symptoms could be cared for, especially given the shortage of beds in surround-ing hospitals. In addition to a monthly budget of Rs. 29,000 for the running costs of Sharanam, there was an additional need of two to four AC units for rooms that would host any Aurovilians with more than mild symptoms. The Bharat Nivas team later explained that additional funding would be re-quired to upgrade the electrical infrastructure of the facility to allow for this AC installation.

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To the content

• Purchasing oxygen cylinders and medicine• Salaries for professional nurses if needed, and

travel expenses (i.e. petrol) for volunteers. In addition, it was proposed that an emergency

amount of 1 lakh be kept available on the Covid ac-count at all times to be available in case of emer-gency.

The WCom and Sante Coordination team also shared that they had previously applied for an emer-gency relief grant circulated by the FWE (Foundation for World Education, a regular donor to Auroville), and that while it had not been granted at the time (January ‘21), the FWE had invited them to re-apply if needed.

The BCC agreed to approve 2 lakhs for the immediate anticipated costs of upgrading the Sharanam facility with 2 AC units, purchasing oxygen and other medi-cal equipment, and travel expenses of AV medical personnel / volunteers supporting Covid-19 affected community members. The request to maintain 1 lakh available in the Covid account for emergency access was also agreed to. It was agreed that a report of the utilisation of funds for the Covid emergency would be published monthly by the Sante Coordination team to keep all informed of what is being done and the costs associated with this, and that any leftover funds would be refunded to City Services.

Covid Test Refunds: On the request of the Sante Co-ordination Team and Working Committee, the BCC approved a rolling budget for the refunds of Covid tests, which are not covered by the Health Fund. See Auronet post for details.

Internal BCC team updates1. MERA: BCC members Rathinam and Suryamayi were

appointed by the FAMC as executives of MERA – Man-agement of Emergency Responses in Auroville – for a period of one year, from June 2021 - June 2022. MERA is a unit under the Health and Healing Trust set up as a channel for receiving funds for emergency responses to any crisis. Last year Rathinam and Mahi from the BCC were executives.

2. New Members: As of June 2021, four community members were newly selected by the FAMC to join the BCC team: Aurosugan, Fabien, Mathan and Cristina. These were selected following a call to the commu-nity to fill the vacant BCC memberships, with input from current members regarding the profiles (skills & qualities) needed to optimally complete the team.

3. In-house accounting of City Services (update): As of June 2021, BCC has engaged Arya Accounting to carry out the book-keeping of all City Services (ser-vices registered directly under BCC and not a Trust).

4. Informational website on City Services budget: A subgroup of the BCC (BCC member Suryamayi, and resource person Avinash) are working on an infor-mational online platform to communicate the overall income and disbursements of City Services in an ac-cessible way.

5. Team Building session with Elisa: The BCC had our second team building session facilitated by Elisa in April 2021. This session focussed (1) on assessing our team’s work in relationship with the BCC Man-date, and identifying areas of improvement, (2) on improving and defining processes around subgroup work.

CONTENT

TOWNHALL SPEAKS ________________________3Lockdown update _______________________________3Key features of new guidelines ____________________3Announcing the new housing board _______________3Call for participation in PTPS advisory group ________3Forest group meeting – Aurodam, 2 July 2021 ______4From the Entry Service – es # 091 _________________5Apartment for transfer ___________________________5BCC narrative report: April ’21 – June ’21 __________5

COMMUNITY NEWS _________________________6A big thank you _________________________________6

For your information ________________________6Centre d’Art gallery in August _____________________6Unity looking for Strong Commitment ______________6Live-Streaming in the Park of Unity for the AVIs _____6KINISI EV care for ALL electric vehicles _____________6Music Course ___________________________________6Call for Grant Proposals _________________________7Integral Health _________________________________7Magic Dabba __________________________________8Hola! Yerba Mate ______________________________8Trio Kitchen ____________________________________8

Looking for _______________________________8Taxi sharing _______________________________9VOICES AND NOTES _________________________9Auroville Radio _________________________________9Birgitta in Group show __________________________9Aurofilm present ________________________________9Coherence _____________________________________9

Parampara _____________________________________9Sri Aurobindo’s Gayatri Mantra _________________ 10

Classes and workshops _____________________102nd online 6-day vision improvement course _____ 10Aikido classes ________________________________ 10Remembering and celebrating Nolly _____________ 10Indian recipes and cooking class ________________ 10Jiva – your journey in healing and transformation _ 11Explore your mind _____________________________ 11Meditation for children _________________________ 11Holotropic breathwork _________________________ 11The way of the sufi ____________________________ 11Natural horsemanship _________________________ 11Unlocking your happiness: key to destress _______ 11New class at Pitanga __________________________ 12News from Auroville Language Lab ______________ 12Soul Of Soil Auroville & Kazhuveli Bio-Region Eco Experience Program _____________ 13Coming Soon Steam & Diet Café ________________ 13Tamil Language Class with Anand Anna __________ 13Important information about News & Notes _______ 13

APPENDIX 1 ______________________________14BCC Narrative Report: April ’21 – June ’21 _______14Donations ___________________________________ 14Maintenances ________________________________ 14Non-recurring budget requests __________________ 15Community-at-large issues _____________________ 15Management of Services _______________________ 15Meetings with other groups/services _____________ 16Internal BCC team updates _____________________ 17